Tuning device for string instruments



Oct. 21, 1941. F. J. NICKEL, JR

TUNING DEVICE FOR STRING INSTRUMENTS Filed June 12, 1940 INVENTOR FRANKJ N/CKEL JP.

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 21, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TUNINGDEVICE FOR STRING INSTRUMENTS Claims.

This invention relates to tuning devices for string instruments, and isgenerally directed to an "improvement over the structure shown anddescribed and claimed in my cc-pending application Serial No. 243,731,filed December 3, 1938 now Patent Number 2,201,869.

An object of this invention is to provide a highly improved tuningdevice for musical string instruments, to permit quick replacement of abroken string and also to facilitate adjusting the tension of thestring.

A further object of this invention is to provide a durable musicalinstrument having highly improved tuning device of the characterdescribed, which shall be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, simpleto construct, easy to adjust, which shall yet be practical and efficientto a high degree.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in parthereinafter pointed.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will beexemplified in the constructionrhereinafter described, and of which thescope of application will 'be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the variouspossible illustrative embodiments of this invention;

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the upper end of the neck of a guitar orother musical instrument of the string type, provided with stringreplacing and tension adjusting means embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of one of the connecting rods.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, l0 designates the upper portionof the neck of a guitar, or other string musical instrument. Ordinarily.the strings of a guitar or other string instruments are attached to oneend of the body of the instrument, the other end of the string beingwound around a tensioning screw. With such instruments breaking of astring necessitates attachment of a new string to one end of the body ofthe instrument, and at the other end to the tuning or adjusting screw.

As will appear hereinafter, in the present instrument, a broken stringmay easily and quickly be replaced and the tension on the string may beeasily adjusted to properly tune the same.

To this end, the neck II) is formed with a nut having spaced stringreceiving slots l2. Fixed to the upper surface of the neck It, above thebridge I I, is a metal plate |3 attached thereto as by screws l4.

Fixed to plate l3, as by screw I6, is a block |1 formed with a pluralityof inclined slots l8, three of the slots l8 being inclined in onedirection, and the other three in an opposite direction. The side wallsof the slots I8 are formed with grooves l9, and slidably mounted withineach slot, is a connector 2| formed in its upper face with a pair ofU-shaped recesses 22 and 23 forming end walls 24 and 25, and a centralwall 26. End Walls 24 and 25 are formed with longitudinal slots 2! and28.

Attached to the central wall 26, is an upstanding pin projecting abovethe block IT, to facilitate handling of the connector 2|.

It will be noted that the nut is formed with six slots I2, each alignedwith the lower end of one of the slots l8.

The strings 34 for the instrument are provided with an integral ball orhead at each end, one end being connected to the usual tailpiece of theinstrument, (not shown) and the other end 35 being received in therecess 22, with the adjacent portion of the string passing through theslot 21 of the connector 2| and through the adjacent slot 2 of thebridge II.

It will now be understood that should a string 34 break, a new stringmay be quickly connected to the connector 2| at one end and to thetailpiece at the other end.

Highly improved means is provided to tension the strings 34. To thisend, there is fixed to the upper end of the neck of the instrument, aplurality of upstanding posts 40, there being three posts adjacent oneside edge I00. of the neck It), and three posts adjacent the other sideedge |0b of said neck. Each post has a head 4| at its upper end.Rotatably mounted on each post is a member 42 provided with a radialscrew threaded opening 43 to receive a set screw 44 for fixing saidmember to the post in any angular adjusted position of the former.

Member 42 is formed with a slot 45 adjacent its inner end, forming atongue 4! above the slot and a tongue 48 below the slot. The tongues 41and 48 are formed with aligned openings 49 and 50. The lower opening 50is screw threaded. Extending through the openings 49 and 50, is a screw54 traversing the slot 46. Interconnecting each screw 54 with one of theconnectors 2| is a connecting rod 56. Each connecting rod 56 has aneyelet 51 at one end through which one of the screws 54 passes. Theother end of each rod is screw threaded, as at 58, and screwed thereto,is a ball or nut 59 having an axial screw threaded opening to receivesaid screw threaded portion of the rod. The screw threaded portion ofeach rod passes through one of the slots 28 in one of the connectors 21.The rod 56 thus interconnects screw 54 with the connector 2 i.

The ball 59 is received in the recesses 23, and adjustment of theposition of the connector 2| may be made either by turning the ball 59or by loosening the set screw 44, turning member 42 about the axis ofpost 40 and then again tightening said set screw. It will thus be notedthat the instrument may be tuned from the top of the instrument quicklyand easily.

A casing 60 may be provided for the connector 2|, said casing having atop wall 6|, side walls 62 and end Walls 63 and 64. The end walls areslotted to permit the strings 34 and the rods 56 to pass therethrough.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which theseveral objects of this invention are achieved, and which is welladapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made oi th'e above invention,and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth,it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawing is to be interpreted'as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

Having thus described'my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. A tuner for a string instrument having a neck, comprising a memberslidably mounted on said neck and having means to receive one end of astring, a post fixed to the neck, a member rotatably mounted about saidpost, means fixing said rotatable member to said'post in various angularpositions, and means interconnecting said second member with saidrotatable member.

2. A tuner for a string instrument having a neck, comprising a memberslidably mounted on I said neck and having means to receive one end of astring, a post fixed to the neck, a member rotatably mounted about saidpost, means fixing said rotatable member to said post in various angularpositions, means interconnecting said second member with said rotatablemember, and means to adjust the operative length of said interconnectingmeans.

3. A tuner for a string instrument having a neck, comprising a connectorslidably mounted thereon and having means for attachment to one stringof said instrument, a post fixed to said neck, a member rotatablymounted about the axis of said post, means fixing said member to saidpost in various angular positions, a connecting rod attached at one endthereof to said member, and a member screwed to said rod and engagingsaid connector.

4. A tuner for a musical instrument having a neck, comprising aconnector slidably mounted on said neck, a post fixed to said neck, amember mounted on said post rotatable about the axis of said post, meansfixing said member against rotation in various angular positions,'aconnector rod connected to said member at a point spaced from the axisof said post, said connecting rod having a screw threaded portion, amember screwed to said screw threaded portion, said connector having arecess to receive said member screwed on said screw threaded portion,and being formed with a slot through which said screw threaded portionof said rod passes.

5. A tuner for a string instrument having a neck, comprising a platefixed to said neck, a block on said plate formed with a plurality ofslots, a connector member slidably mounted within each slot, a pluralityof posts fixed to said neck, there being one post for each connector, amember mounted on each post rotatable about the axis of said post, meansfixing each rotatably mounted member against rotation at various angularpositions about the post on which said member is mounted, and adjustablemeans interconnecting each connector with one of said members.

FRANK J. NICKEL, JR.

